1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is concerned with a shaft of a steering column for steering a motor vehicle. The invention further concerns a process for assembling a steering shaft of this type onto a motor vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a steering shaft includes a cylindrical body and a therein telescopically introduced piston rod body. In such a steering shaft on the one end is connectable with the steering wheel and the other end is connectable, via a steering coupling, with a steering gear. The assembly of the steering shaft occurs conventionally in such manner that first a steering gear with steering coupling is mounted on a vehicle, on the engine compartment side of a firewall which separates the engine compartment from a passenger compartment. Conventionally, the installation of the steering gear in the engine compartment occurs simultaneously with the installation of the internal combustion engine. On the driver side of the firewall there occurs then an installation of the steering shaft in the vehicle, at which time the steering shaft is provided on the vehicle in such a manner that one steering end end, which is intended to be joined to the steering coupling, projects into a steering column opening, which is provided on the firewall. Thereafter a mechanic can grab hold of the said steering shaft end on the engine compartment side and pull it into the engine compartment. Thereby the piston rod body is pulled telescopically out of the cylinder body. Said steering shaft end can then be connected with the steering coupling.
A problem herein is the extreme difficulty in accessing the steering shaft end, since at this stage of the vehicle assembly a number of components and assemblies have already been mounted in the engine compartment, such as for example the internal combustion engine and the exhaust assembly. The obscured access to the steering shaft end, which must be pulled out the steering column opening and into the engine compartment in order that it can be connected with the steering coupling, complicates therewith the assembly of the steering shaft and makes this in particular time intensive.
From applications DE 102 58 028 B3, DE 42 08 497 C1 and DE 69 011 168 T2 various couplings are known, which can be used for connecting the steering coupling with the steering gear.